


Teddy Bear (safe to read to kids)

by QuintusH4Z4RD



Category: Original Work
Genre: Version which is safe to read to kids, my grandma asked me to make a version which could be read to small children, so i did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-10 10:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7840879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuintusH4Z4RD/pseuds/QuintusH4Z4RD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the version of my story 'Teddy Bear' which doesn't include gore and death and is safe to read to little kids if you want.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teddy Bear (safe to read to kids)

Once upon a time, there was a young girl of five years old called Faith. Faith had beautiful golden ringlets in her hair, and smooth skin like a porcelain doll. Faith was at the age of going to school so that's where she went every day, and was picked up from by her mother at three o' clock.

However, despite how innocent and pretty Faith looked, she was far from being the most well-behaved child in the class. In fact, she was pretty much the complete opposite. The teachers told Faith's mother about her behaviour, but she refused to believe them.

"My Faith is a most polite and well-mannered little girl." Her mother boasted. Faith stood by her side like a little lamb, smiling so innocently as if her golden hair had turned into a halo around her head.

It was true that Faith acted this way at home, but in school it was as if she had a complete personality change. She hit other children, and didn't let them join in with whatever she was playing. Many a time, Faith ended up in the little plastic Wendy-house, scratching any child who tried to get in with her sharp little nails. 

At lunch, when every child sat at tables and ate their packed lunches, Faith found joy in pelting children with her sandwiches or fruit. Particularly unlucky children would be subject to spoonfuls of yoghurt being catapulted at them. Inevitably, Faith would end up with no food, so she would reach over and snatch other children's food when they weren't looking, stuffing it into her mouth and acting innocent when the poor child would realise that half their sandwich or granola bar was gone.

Staffroom whispers meant that every teacher knew of the terrible child and thus kept an eye on her. This would not stop her though, as she knocked over another little girl who was playing hopscotch, laughing merrily as the other girl tumbled to the floor, shrieking in pain as she grazed her legs and palms of her hands.

Teachers would place her in time-out, but of course Faith would get off the chair and run away. Oftentimes, they found her hidden in the toilet cubicle or behind the toybox. Screeching like a golden-haired rat, she was placed back on time-out but kept up her antics often until hometime, where her demeanour would change. 

Grabbing her bag, she would charge out with the other children to meet her mother, who was, as ever, oblivious to her daughter's bad behaviour.

Now one day, Faith was driven to school as usual, dropped off at the gate by her mother, who gave her a kiss and her school bag, and went skipping into school with her classmates.

"Sit down, children." Smiled Miss James, the young, brown-haired teacher, as she saw the children coming into class.

Miss James loved to teach children, and delighted in her class of twenty. She was lenient as far as punishment was concerned, which led the other, older teachers to advise her not to be so forgiving. She brushed them off with a chuckle, saying that kids would be kids.

"Good morning, children!" Miss James told her class, and as per the routine, the children parroted in unison:

"Good mor-ning Miss James."

Today, there stood a young boy beside Miss James. He wore a red-striped t-shirt, a small pair of jeans and had tufty blond hair.

What Faith noticed about this boy was the toy he was clutching to his chest: a fuzzy brown teddy-bear which Faith loved the look of.

"We have a new little boy joining our class today!" She looked down at him. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Josh." He mumbled shyly, and Miss James once again addressed the rest of the class.

"Who would like to have Josh sit at their table?"

In the class, there were about five round, brightly-coloured tables where four children sat at each. Faith rather hoped that Josh would be put at her table so she could make a quick grab for the teddy. She raised her hand as high as it could go, but unfortunately for her, some children at a table on the opposite side of the room raised their hands with much more enthusiasm, and Josh was seated at their table with much welcomes and introductions from the children of that table.

Sulking, Faith crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip, staring at the boy's teddy like a hawk watching its prey. 

The first activity of the day was colouring, and pieces of paper with cartoonish lineart was placed in front of each child, along with a box of crayons for each table. Seizing a red crayon, Faith began to colour in the picture of a butterfly which had been put in front of her. Quickly growing bored, she eyed the paper of a red-haired girl who sat nearby. The girl was colouring the picture of a frog with determination, so Faith reached over and scribbled red onto the frog.

"Stop it!" The red-haired girl whined. "Miiiiss, Faith's ruined my picture!"

"Faith, don't do that, sweetie. Colour in your own - look at the pretty pattern on the wings! You could use all sorts of colours." Kind Miss James gave the red-haired girl another frog picture and indicated the wings on Faith's butterfly.

Faith shook her head, threw down her crayon and sulked some more. Miss James sighed, supposing that as long as Faith wasn't disrupting the activity, she could sulk if she wanted.

About fifteen minutes later, Miss James collected the coloured-in pictures from the children, telling them that she would pin the pictures up on the classroom wall after the kids had gone home.

"Right!" The teacher exclaimed brightly. "I think we should all play with some musical instruments today! Let's go over to the play area and i'll give you all something to play!"

This was her chance! Faith made sure to sit next to Josh, cross-legged on the flat carpet. A xylophone was given to her, along with a stick to strike the keys with. Some other kids were given recorders, small drums, plastic trumpets and castanets, among other things. Faith struck a few keys of her xylophone until the class was making a suitable noise and Miss James was occupied with telling a child about the holes of a recorder before she stood, still holding the xylophone stick, and walking over to where Josh was blowing gamely into a little trumpet.

"For me," Faith said, pointing at the teddy bear with the stick. Josh nervously shook his head and held his toy tighter.

"No. Mine." He replied.

Faith stepped closer, raising the xylophone stick and bringing it down upon Josh's head, the round end making a bruise appear where it had struck him. Josh cried out in pain, covering the bruise with his hand and giving Faith the perfect opportunity to snatch the bear quickly. 

Miss James turned and saw the crying boy, and the girl who held the bear. 

"Faith!" She said firmly. "Give Josh his teddy back! You've hurt him!" 

"No!" Faith stamped her little foot, pouting and keeping a tight grip on the bear. 

Miss James got up from her sitting position and started to make her way towards Faith. 

Faith quickly looked around for somewhere to run away. Seeing no other option than the hallway she ran as fast as her fat little legs could carry her. She spied the open door of the school's entrance and wasted no time in exiting the school.

Fresh air and a cool breeze hit Faith as she left the building, sprinting and holding on to the teddy. 

"Faith! Come back here!" Miss James shouted, seeing Faith heading for the wide-open gates of the school. 

Faith was determined to get away, and she only looked forward as she left the boundary of the school, ran left down the narrow lane which led to the school and towards a road.

She didn't think. She wasn't old enough to cross alone. Faith charged onto the road without a second thought and suddenly time seemed to slow. 

Faith turned her head to look behind her, golden hair blowing in the wind. Miss James ran after her, shouting out, now wildly worried. Turning her head to look to her side, Faith saw the source of concern.

A red car, its horn blaring as its occupant, a balding middle-aged man, slammed the break and stared wide-eyed at the small child.

It was too late.

The car didn't stop in time, and Faith was hit by the car.

The man, one Alfred Morris, finally got his car to stop. Bracing his hands against the steering wheel and taking a deep breath, he managed to undo his seatbelt and open the car door, seeing Miss James and frantically apologising.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am, she just ran straight in front of me! I couldn't possibly have stopped!" 

Alfred saw Miss James suddenly stop and gasp in horror, putting her hand over her mouth. Following the teacher's gaze, he winced and shook his head in saddened shock.

Faith lay there, bruised and unconscious, but still alive.

Everything seemed oddly quiet to Miss James, even when the sirens of an ambulance shrieked, having been summoned by a neighbour who had heard Alfred's car screech to a halt. Even when a paramedic held her shoulders and gently led her towards the neighbour's house, asking the homeowner to put the kettle on for a cup of tea, for the shock.

Even when she looked back and saw the child being lifted onto a stretcher.

Now thankfully, Faith was quite alright. She spent a few days in the hospital and thought long and hard about her behaviour, and what had happened.

A few weeks later, she came back to school. Twenty-one pairs of eyes stared at her as she quietly walked into class, and up to where Josh sat.

"Sorry, Josh." She held out something for him.

His fully-intact but grubby teddy bear.


End file.
